Best Audiophile USB Card ?

[flkin]

Pink Faun is just about to launch their "Ultra" USB card, looks like it might be a game changer..

I had a chance to listen to it. Review here in the Pink Faun 2.16 thread:

 

 

[flkin]

The Pink Faun v2 USB bridge is now on sale from their site.
 

To be clear, this isn’t the Ultra card that’s coming out in a few months time but a replacement of the v1 card with a total makeover and a new ASM3142 chip. 

 

Said to sound really good even without their famed OCXO clock. 
 

I have one on the way, will compare with my existing v1/UltraOCXO card and report after. 

[flkin]

11 hours ago, Gavin1977 said:

Ultra?  Isn’t just the ultra card the ISB bridge v2 with their ultra clock?

Nope. The v2 is a USB card. And the Ultra is another USB card coming out shortly. PF says they have plans for an Ultra I2S card also but further down the road. 

[flkin]

2 hours ago, Gavin1977 said:

Any source of this info?  ETA?

The v2 is already for sale. I have a unit on the way now. Check their website. Jord clarified that there are to be 2 usb cards- this v2 and the Ultra targeted out in the next few months. I saw the Ultra prototype during my Aug visit to Rhenen.
 

Jord said the Ultra i2s is only under consideration at this time. 

Care to explain the urgency? 

[flkin]

21 hours ago, Exocer said:

..

Options are

1. SOTM SCLK-EX with Mutec Ref10 (not 120se)

2. JCAT Master OCXO - powered by the Optimo Nano LPS (fed by Taiko DC-DC and unregulated LPS, cables are all Mundorf SG).

..

 

Hey Rob, are you saying you are plugging the sclk-ex clock output programmed at 20MHz into the Jcat? If so, can you share what cable you used (length, impedance etc) and the sclk-ex power source?

 

Or did you pass the music signal through a tx-USBUltra (which contains a sclk-ex) to clean the signal on the way to the DAC?

[flkin]

On 9/14/2023 at 9:26 PM, flkin said:

The Pink Faun v2 USB bridge is now on sale from their site.
 

To be clear, this isn’t the Ultra card that’s coming out in a few months time but a replacement of the v1 card with a total makeover and a new ASM3142 chip. 

 

Said to sound really good even without their famed OCXO clock. 
 

I have one on the way, will compare with my existing v1/UltraOCXO card and report after. 

The 2023 Pink Faun v2 USB card has finally arrived. 😄

 

 

In my streamer burning in now 24/7. Probably will take a week or so. But I couldn’t resist having a quick listen first. Sounds very promising in comparison to my old v1 card with OCXO. Treble quality as yet can’t quite match the old card presently but the rest is good. 
 

More to come once the burn is done. 

[flkin]

2 hours ago, Exocer said:

Wasn’t able to locate clock options. Is the V2 not compatible with the Pink Faun clock boards?

 

Did the card you’re comparing to use the Ultra clock?

 

The 3 Pink Faun USB options are:

 

1. old discontinued v1 card - works in 3 ways, alone, optional plug onto board modular normal OCXO or ultra OCXO)

2. new v2 card, no clock options

3. new Ultra card, ultra OCXO built on board as standard. Launching in a few months
 

My comparison is between (1) with ultra OCXO module and (2).

[flkin]

14 hours ago, Exocer said:

Correct - and the 75ohm input was also enabled, with a Mutec Ref10 reclocking the sclk-ex board. Here is the cable: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Hirose-Connector/U.FL-2LPHF6-088N1T-AC-150?qs=Znm5pLBrcAKMUSb53pim9w%3D%3D&countryCode=US&currencyCode=USD

 

That is the length and impedance.

 

In both tests above, the TX-UsbHubin is cleaning up the signal again before the DAC, as I have built a jumper cable from the JCAT USB XE to the Tx-USBhubin. 
 

The sclk-ex is powered by a Sean Jacobs DC4 and so is the JCAT USB XE.

 

Ah thanks. Interesting that despite the better power supply, the XE/OCXO is better than the XE/Mutec. Not that surprising perhaps as the OCXO is a dedicated 20MHz clock while the Mutec  needs to convert to this freq from its 10MHz reference signal. And the clock is also closer to where the signal is required. 
 

Years ago I had similar experience using the txUSBUltra reclocker attached with a Cybershaft OP-14 clock vs the then new Pink Faun v1 card with OCXO on board and the latter was a step better. At that time, adding the txUSBUltra w/clock in series made the sound worse so I retired the set. 

[flkin]

3 hours ago, MarcelNL said:

Interestingly there is no new SPDIF or I2S card (yet?) and preciously little information, previously the three bridges differed in output and clock freq but were using the same CM8888 chip. 

Is there any news (I may have missed it) about new versions for other output formats  (USB is not an option for me given the clear benefit of using I2S)?

 

Jord said they would only consider i2S  after the Ultra USB was finished. No definite plans. 
 

The existing i2S sounded very good when I heard it recently in their setup so I guess they prioritized it for a later update. 

 

The CM8888 is a PCIe to i2S controller and uses a 24.576MHz clock. It’s different for their USB controller which uses the ASMedia ASM1142 on the v1 card and ASM3142 on the new v2 card. 

[flkin]

On 9/24/2023 at 6:26 PM, flkin said:

The 2023 Pink Faun v2 USB card has finally arrived. 😄

 

 

In my streamer burning in now 24/7. Probably will take a week or so. But I couldn’t resist having a quick listen first. Sounds very promising in comparison to my old v1 card with OCXO. Treble quality as yet can’t quite match the old card presently but the rest is good. 
 

More to come once the burn is done. 

 

100 hour mini review of the Pink Faun USB v2 bridge (card)

 

For the discussion below, I refer to v1 but that is the older v1 card with the Ultra clock module attached. This card is warmed at least 24 hours (makes a big difference when cold). The v2 is burned in around 100 hours.

 

Both are externally powered by a 5V Paul Hynes DR7t+ double regulated, extreme version.

 

After burning in the v2 for around 100 hours, my overall impression is this:

 

- More accurate modern sound

- Tight, controlled, great imaging which can challenge the v1

- Detailed and dynamic

- At the upper edge of dynamic sounds, the treble was a little shouty during the break-in time. After 100 hours of burn, this seemed to have reduced but not gone

 

Compared to v1:

 

- V1 is more liquid softer sounding, natural but slightly less clear

- Bass slightly less tight than v2

- Slightly more body, thicker in the lower mids and bass especially when clock is not warmed up.

- Vocals remain preferable especially with female voices. More analogue? Feeling of being present and real with no treble issues.

 

I think both cards can appeal to different audiophiles in different ways. After spending a lot of time optimising my system with the v1 inserted, it’s not surprising that I prefer its sound. And at 4 times the price, this should be the case. That said, I was surprised at the v2 performance. That newer tighter sound is engaging.

 

For those using Euphony as the playback software, one can try switching kernels 5.14 and 5.18 as an optimising tool to balance the sound character of the v1 and v2 cards. It is possible to use the v1 card with Euphony 5.18 kernel which then gives the modern sound of the v2.

 

And for those wanting to add a bit of the Pink Faun clock magic - natural sounding, spatial awareness and emotional connection especially to vocals, will have to wait for the Ultra card due later this year. Perhaps they will incorporate some of the newer tech of the v2 card into it as well? 

 

Some of the tracks used for this evaluation:

 

 

Live a FIP - Musica Nuda

Tracks: Quando, I will survive

Great live album where bass lines and dynamic vocals show the extreme edges of the system

 

 

Chasing a Dream - Gabor Csordas

Tracks: Chasing a dream, Fresh

The electric bass guitar and drums are pretty good tests for bass resolution and separation.

 

 

Alive at the Village Vanguard - Fred Hersch, Esperanza Spalding

Tracks: A Wish

Esperanza voice is goosebump real when the system is firing well. Emotional engagement at 100%. Lots of 'things' happening in the venue background which can show resolution power of the system 

 

My system details within which the cards were playing is in the signature link below.

[flkin]

8 hours ago, rafa said:

This is very disappointing so far. Hopefully that goes away with time completely.

 

This character doesn't overwhelm the performance of the card, it's just one aspect of the sound. Just one data point in my own system.

 

The card is out on loan to a friend who is considering a modded version of the card with the existing clock swapped into a U.FL connector and then using an external reference clock. I'll try again after it's back from its rounds and when it's reached say 200-250 hours burn.

[flkin]

Hi @Exocer, the card is still out on loan to another friend whose own card failed on him. I haven’t followed up as yet. 
 

Once it’s made it’s rounds, I’ll plug it back into my system and have a listen again. 

[flkin]

On 11/10/2023 at 5:30 PM, Van Duc Uy said:

Is it better any USB card that you tested(not V1) before?

 

Sorry, nope, I don't have any more USB card comparisons to share right now. The friend @Acholate that I lent the v2 to thinks it's pretty good.

[flkin]

ok, I'll bite. 😂

 

Please share what your system is, which streamers/DACs you prefer and which protocol you think is superior to USB.

[flkin]

2 hours ago, Gavin1977 said:

Any more news on the Pink Faun Ultra card?

 

Heard from Jord 8 days ago :

 

".. The first small batch of ultra USB is in production now.. "

".. I have made some small changes in the shielding case for the ultra USB bridge, it is even better now.."

".. I hope to have some units ready in a month or so.. "

".. The casing .. is made for our ultra music server and standard PCIe brackets in normal computer casing .."

[flkin]

10 hours ago, Gavin1977 said:

Ah man… full height PCIe would be a challenge for me in the HDplex H5.  Will wait and see 😀

 

23 hours ago, flkin said:

".. The casing .. is made for our ultra music server and standard PCIe brackets in normal computer casing .."

 

From the wording used, the Ultra seems likely to fit into just one standard PCIe slot (rather than more than one as the case looks pretty wide). But as is, it doesn't fit my Pink Faun 2.16x streamer as well. PF is aware of this and so they will remove the protruding lip of the shielding case at the top for me.

 

 

Strange to design a card to fit only their latest Ultra streamer and not fit (without mod) into their older 2.16x. Wouldn't there be more 2.16x machines out there than Ultras? Or it's a ploy to get us to upgrade 😄

[flkin]

On 9/29/2023 at 12:02 PM, flkin said:

 

100 hour mini review of the Pink Faun USB v2 bridge (card)

 

For the discussion below, I refer to v1 but that is the older v1 card with the Ultra clock module attached. This card is warmed at least 24 hours (makes a big difference when cold). The v2 is burned in around 100 hours.

 

Both are externally powered by a 5V Paul Hynes DR7t+ double regulated, extreme version.

 

After burning in the v2 for around 100 hours, my overall impression is this:

 

- More accurate modern sound

- Tight, controlled, great imaging which can challenge the v1

- Detailed and dynamic

- At the upper edge of dynamic sounds, the treble was a little shouty during the break-in time. After 100 hours of burn, this seemed to have reduced but not gone

 

Compared to v1:

 

- V1 is more liquid softer sounding, natural but slightly less clear

- Bass slightly less tight than v2

- Slightly more body, thicker in the lower mids and bass especially when clock is not warmed up.

- Vocals remain preferable especially with female voices. More analogue? Feeling of being present and real with no treble issues.

 

I think both cards can appeal to different audiophiles in different ways. After spending a lot of time optimising my system with the v1 inserted, it’s not surprising that I prefer its sound. And at 4 times the price, this should be the case. That said, I was surprised at the v2 performance. That newer tighter sound is engaging.

 

For those using Euphony as the playback software, one can try switching kernels 5.14 and 5.18 as an optimising tool to balance the sound character of the v1 and v2 cards. It is possible to use the v1 card with Euphony 5.18 kernel which then gives the modern sound of the v2.

 

And for those wanting to add a bit of the Pink Faun clock magic - natural sounding, spatial awareness and emotional connection especially to vocals, will have to wait for the Ultra card due later this year. Perhaps they will incorporate some of the newer tech of the v2 card into it as well? 

 

Some of the tracks used for this evaluation:

 

 

Live a FIP - Musica Nuda

Tracks: Quando, I will survive

Great live album where bass lines and dynamic vocals show the extreme edges of the system

 

 

Chasing a Dream - Gabor Csordas

Tracks: Chasing a dream, Fresh

The electric bass guitar and drums are pretty good tests for bass resolution and separation.

 

 

Alive at the Village Vanguard - Fred Hersch, Esperanza Spalding

Tracks: A Wish

Esperanza voice is goosebump real when the system is firing well. Emotional engagement at 100%. Lots of 'things' happening in the venue background which can show resolution power of the system 

 

My system details within which the cards were playing is in the signature link below.

 

It’s been over 2 months since I received the Pink Faun v2 USB bridge/card. After using it for a while and concluding that the card is suitable for a more modern sound but plays alongside the v1/OCXO card which offers an alternative analogue sound, I lent it out to a fellow AS audiophile @Acholate for a month and at that time he found it sounded comparable to his JCatEx. By now it’s fully burnt in. 

 

A few people were asking for an update after burn in and here it is. Comes at a good time as I just had the firmware updated when Jord of Pink Faun TeamViewed into my system and made the change. He told me that this update made a significant improvement to the Ultra card’s sound during its final development stage and suggested that the same might be true if applied to the v2 card. 

 

Well, either from this firmware tweak or from the completion of the burn in, the sound has improved and by quite a bit! Any anomalies in soundstage width at 100 hours burn has gone, it’s now wide and deep similar to the v1/OCXO. The overall character that I noticed during the initial evaluation still holds true. It remains a more modern sound than v1/OCXO, tight and faster but has now settled into a very engaging, natural sound.

 

From my listening notes the first character that now stands out is that the sound is less thick than the v1/OCXO with less lower mids or upper bass energy. Makes the sound lighter in its feet and therefore tighter and faster in character. There doesn’t seem to be any loss of bass information, it’s all there but tighter, taking less space in the soundstage. 

 

In Eric Clapton’s The Lady in the Balcony, Lockdown Sessions, River of Tears used to sound slightly fat in the v1/OCXO, now sounds very nice in v2. Good balance of guitar, voice and bass now. 

 

Another example is the Audiophile Analog Connection vol.2, Route 66 track, a favorite of mine. It gives the impression of being in the venue and envelopes the listener with its thick, almost syrupy atmosphere. Here the v2 again excels as the huge bass notes and overtones presents clearly and more believable than the v1/OCXO.  Doreen Smith’s voice in this track is so well matched with this kind of setting and brings me to the second character of the Pink Faun v2 USB card, the imaging and treble energy. 
 

 

In this track I’ve found in the past Doreen’s voice is not easy to play properly. There’s always a metallic sheen to her voice with some edginess in parts. The v2 is able to handle it fine. There is more lower treble energy which gives the impression of making sound less stodgy compared to the v1/OCXO. Details are pronounced and vocals are forward. In my system I’m not hearing any harshness, just more forward sound with a slight loss of sweetness. This is one aspect of the v1/OCXO sound I still prefer - female vocals in pop and classical which I find very realistic and textured without even a hint of harshness even at the extremes of volume or tone. 

 

As for imaging the v2 really excels now. The edges of sound are clearer, placements in sound field easy to identify. The Beatles Deluxe - Help! album track 38 Yesterday Take 1 is a great track to hear this. Shows how Paul McCartney improvised the guitar before settling on his now well know version of the song. That guitar and his voice images holographically in the v2. The v1/OCXO in comparison offers the guitar with thicker strings, less woody guitar echo and a larger voice. Edges are less defined. 
 

 

Can it be better? I guess I could wish for more vocal sweetness, perhaps more atmosphere in the blackness part of tracks (blackness is never black, it’s full of echos, background murmurs and moving air), maybe more positioning of sounds in live recordings deep in the soundstage and lastly more control in the extreme bass notes in the region of 25-40 Hz.

 

These deep notes are not often found apart from test tracks and perhaps organ music. Here I’m finding the v1/OCXO is more controlled. The Audiophile Analogue Connection Vol 2, Seven Last Words of Christ: Intro has very low frequencies beyond many speakers’ capabilities. The v2’s offering is a little flabby compared to the v1. And because the track has some excellent female vocals, I like the v1/OCXO’s overall presentation for this track. 

 

At the time of my last listen 2 months ago, I preferred the older v1/OCXO in my system. I’ve now changed my mind. Time and the new firmware seems to have settled the v2 into a more natural presentation akin to the v1/OCXO. It’s tighter mid/bass and excellent separation wins for me despite the slight lack of final sweetness in female vocals. To me, this is a clear example of new technology moving forward to supplant the old at a lower price.
 

Good job Pink Faun! 
 

- Kin

[flkin]

The v2 card replaces the older v1 card which had an option to add an OCXO clock on board. V2 card has an improved clock section but no option to add a clock. Uses a later ASM3142 usb chipset and updated hardware. And with Pink Faun’s recent firmware update, the v2 has exceeded my old v1/OCXO sound wise. 

 

The Ultra USB card is their attempt to build the ultimate USB card. Includes super capacitor power supply, their Ultra OCXO clock, their latest thoughts on design and a metal housing for EMI and heat management. Should be out anytime now. 
 

I wrote about the v2, the ultra prototype and the comparison between my old v1/OCXO and the v2. Earlier in this thread. 

[flkin]

@Hulio No the Ultra is not out yet. I guess we just have to wait until the announcement. I’m guessing it won’t be cheap though..

 

The v2 is already very nice, just make sure it has the latest firmware. 

[flkin]

3 hours ago, danielB said:

Hi,

On v2 page says that it using proprietary firmware.

Is there a way to update to latest firmware but to keep and reinstall the original? ASMTool or something else?

 

Sorry I have no idea. Jord teamviewed into my system to get it done. I guess the later cards sold would already have the later software depending on when you purchased it. I like the improvement the v2 firmware offered, I'm not sure if there is a reason to return to the earlier version after the upgrade.

[flkin]

 

40 minutes ago, danielB said:

Thank you for the infos.I ve bought mine 2nd day after launch last year so better to ask Jord if i need a firmware update.

I suppose your update were under windows?

 

Yes, can only be done in Windows.

[flkin]

Finally the long awaited Pink Faun Ultra USB bridge is complete and just about to be delivered to their first owners next week. 😄

 

Last year 2023 when I found out about it, I visited Pink Faun in Rhenen to have a first look and wrote up about that visit is here. Being a long time Pink Faun user, I am fortunate to be in this first pre-production batch of 10 units.

 

It’s taken a little longer than planned but the team has taken the time to revise the locking lip of the USB Ultra’s aluminium case so it can fit both the current 2.16 Ultra streamer, which was what it was designed for, and the older 2.16x cases where full height cards usually needs some adjustment to fit. The Ultra card is 1.5x the width of a PCIe slot due to the new case which serves as an EMI shield and heat sink for the new super-capacitor power components and Ultra OCXO clock inside and so it will need 2 free full sized PCIe slots to fit. External power will be 5V/2A through what will probably be a 2.5mm barrel plug but there seems to also be an internal 4-pin Molex power socket too. It will be interesting to compare the internal Molex supply buffered by the super capacitors to a good external DC supply. This is significant since good DC supplies and their associated audiophile cables are not cheap. 

 

 

Jord informs me that the card will be officially launched on their website before the Munich show in May. The 2nd batch is sold out with units ready later this month and production of the 3rd batch is on the way. I’m told the current plan is to sell only to existing Pink Faun owners for €3250 ex. VAT making this probably the highest price USB card in existence!

 

Once I get my unit and have sometime with it, I will write my impressions about how it sounds. At this price, it is not a trivial purchase and it would have to out perform the existing v2 card substantially to make it worth the asking price. I recently found that the existing v2 card already outperformed the older v1/ultraOCXO card so this will be a difficult target to reach indeed. Let’s see soon!

 

Regards to all, Kin

[flkin]

27 minutes ago, danielB said:

Hi Kin,

I was expecting it after Axpona but not at that price.Must be something special.Could be the capacitors and the filtering after the capacitors.At least is not 3 slots wide and 600w power hungry like the rtx4090:))

Jord will be at Axpona. He might bring one along seeing that it’s already completed. If so, those lucky visitors will get to hear it first! 

[flkin]

@Exocer, yeah the new USB card is the first I’ve seen to have this form factor. The external case looks pretty chunky and solid but perhaps not as heavy as one would expect. They decided on aluminum rather than copper for the case which I’m told was an option during the design stage. 

 

I only heard the new Sotm card in another system briefly but haven’t come across the new JCat with external OCXO clock locally yet. 

[flkin]

6 hours ago, MarcelNL said:

No offense, yet I don't want the best USB output, I want the best I2S or whatever is best for computer to DAC output!
 

Good things come to those who wait… 😉  … eventually 

 

Jord mentioned this was in the pipeline after the USB card.